Let's dust things off here a bit, shall we? Last I checked, we were in the height of summer making berry tarts full of gorgeous warm weather things. Now the air has cooled, the leaves have started to fall and the market is chock full of apples and pears. I have already taken a customary trip upstate to pick apples (and grapes!) and am elbow deep in fall baking projects (and some other fun stuff I will share soon). I have also discovered the russet apple. Actually, I guess it would be more accurate to say that I have finally noticed the russet apple because they have been around since the 1800s. They are pretty unassuming as far as apples go with rough, leathery skin, but the flavor is unbeatable. Beyond that gnarly exterior is super firm white flesh with hints of maple and nuts and I am already dreaming about the crumb topped pie I am going to make with them... If you live in NY, you can find russet apples at the Locust Grove stand on Wednesdays at the Union Square Greenmarket.

The first thing I made with my russets was this wonderfully simple tart from Izy Hossack's new book, Top with Cinnamon. It comes together quickly in one bowl (well, actually it's a saucepan, but you get my drift) and it's gluten free. The original recipe called for sliced plums, which would be totally delicious, but I wanted to put my russets to work so I used one of those instead. I'm sure the tart would be equally lovely with pears or any other fruit, really.

For more fall recipes, check out the round-up I put together last year here.

In other news, I finally joined Steller. If you like, join me there for fun food and travel stories, username:yossyarefi.

p.s. Will any of you NYC folks be participating in Enid's annual Apple Pie Contest on October 19 Maybe I'll see you there...

Apple Frangipane Tart

adapted from Top with Cinnamon by Izy Hossack

90 grams (3 ounces, 6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

140 grams (5 ounces, 2/3 cup) granulated sugar

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

95 grams (3 1/4 ounce, 1 cup) ground almonds

70 grams (2 1/2 ounces, 3/4 cup) oat flour

1 large baking apple, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Grease and line a 7x10 or 8x8 inch baking pan with parchment. I used a 10-inch tart pan that worked well. Don't skip the parchment paper!

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and syrup. Beat in the egg, almond extract, salt and baking powder. Stir in the almonds and oat flour until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the apple slices on top in a decorative pattern. Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool the tart for 15 minutes then dust with the confectioner's sugar and serve warm or at room temperature.

I know it's coming to a close, but here's a hot tip for summer: keep a batch of pie crust in your fridge or freezer at all times. Then, when you spot some pretty fruit at the farmer's market, you'll always have something to tuck it into at the ready.

Just about the easiest thing you can make with fruit and pie crust is a galette. Galettes are casual open faced tarts and their charm is in their imperfections. It's okay if the fruit leaks all over the baking sheet and there is no futzy crust crimping for the folks who find that part of pie making frustrating. I even know someone who likes to make them at 3AM after a night of drinking, so you know they are easy.

These particular galettes were born when I had lots of little bits of different fruits left over from another project and I used roughly equal amounts of sour cherries, red currants and raspberries. This particular combination of red fruits turned out visually stunning and totally delicious, but don't feel limited by these fruits! You can make a galette with just about any fruit you have hanging around.

This is more of a formula and a process than a recipe that needs to be followed to the letter so feel free to swap the crust or the fruit or the jam for anything you like. And it's the best kind of recipe to have in your back pocket for all those times when you just need dessert last minute. Get invited to dinner? Galette. Going to a picnic or barbecue or rooftop party? Galette. Celebrating a birthday? Galette. Tuesday? Galette.

Happy Summer!

Red Fruits Galettes
yield 2, 9-inch galettes

Feel free to swap out my pie crust for your favorite recipe, but please make sure to bake the galettes until they are deeply golden brown and caramelized. Say no to soggy crust!

Crust

12 ounces all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
9 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 ounces ice cold water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut in half of the butter until it is the size of peas, then cut in the other half until it is the size lima beans. Some of the butter will be completely worked into the flour, but you should have lots of visible pieces of butter in the dough too. Add the apple cider vinegar to the water and make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Use a gentle hand or wooden spoon to mix the water into the flour until just combined. If the dough seems very dry, add more water a couple of teaspoons at a time. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart. Press the dough together, then split it in half, form into discs and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using, or overnight.

Filling

about 2 pounds of assorted red fruits (raspberries, cherries, sour cherries, sweet cherries, currants, etc)
1 3/4-2 3/4 ounces granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of the fruit (for example: currants will need more, sweet cherries less)
4 ounces apricot, raspberry or strawberry jam
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
pinch salt
1 tablespoon flour (only if the fruit seems very juicy)

1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt for egg wash
1 3/4 ounce crunchy sugar like demerara or turbinado for sprinkling

Work with one piece of dough at a time and on a floured surface, roll the dough into a roughly 13'' circle, 1/4-1/8'' thick. Transfer the rounds to two large, parchmentlined sheet pans. Store in the fridge while you prepare the filling.

Pit the cherries and remove the currants from their stems. In a large bowl, rub the lemon zest and salt into the sugar. If you're using flour, now's the time to add it. Add the fruit to the sugar mixture and toss gently to combine.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and spread each round with about 4 tablespoons of jam, then divide the fruit evenly between the disks, leaving a 1 1/2'' border around the edges. Fold the edges of the pastry over the filling and gently brush the egg wash between the folds to seal. Chill the formed tarts until the dough is very firm.

While the tarts are chilling, preheat your oven to 400º. When the tarts are nice and cold, remove them from the fridge, gently brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle the pastry and the fruit with coarse sugar. Bake until the fruit juices bubble and ooze and the pastry is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool before serving.